Condensers are used to condense a fluid from its vapor phase to its liquid phase in many industrial and other processes. At thermal power plants, condensers typically receive exhaust steam from a low pressure turbine and condense it to water for reuse in the Rankine cycle. Condensers are also used in organic Rankine cycle apparatuses and in other applications. The fluid that undergoes condensation is typically separated from a cooling fluid the condenser uses to remove the heat released during condensation. Typically, the heat removed is rejected to the environment without reuse. Many examples of condenser systems known to those skilled in the art are in use both at thermal plants and in other applications, and the invention can generally be used with any of those condenser systems. Common condenser configurations include, for example, surface condensers and direct and indirect air-cooled condensers.
There is a well recognized need for new technologies that can generate electricity from the heat removed in the condensation process. The present invention discloses a novel way of using the spontaneous polarization of ferroelectrics and other polarizable materials to generate electricity from the thermal energy released in condensers. The invention can be used with condensers in various implementations. The invention can generate electricity using the warmer fluid that is rejected from a condenser as a source of thermal energy, with the cooling fluid that is input to the condenser serving as a heat sink. A condenser can alternatively be configured so that the hot vapor directly contacts the polarizable material. In any implementation, ferroelectric or other polarizable materials are thermally cycled near or through their transition temperatures to cause changes in polarization which can be used to convert thermal energy from the condensation process to electricity.